Isle of Paradise shape and glow big blending brush
Buy now £13.95, Theisleofparadise.com
While some people love the process of indulging in self-care, for others it’s an absolute faff. And on occasion, the latter is exactly how I feel about the whole fake tan process – shaving, exfoliating and moisturising, and that’s before I’ve even thought about application. But, one thing that does make it an exciting task is discovering new products.
And since coming across Isle of Paradise’s blending brush, it’s got a whole lot easier. “So what is it?”, I hear you ask. In a nutshell, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – a blending brush. It’s made from vegan fibres that feel extremely soft and has been designed to be used as a fake tan applicator, buffing self-tanners into the skin seamlessly, leaving a streak-free finish. And it’s particularly beneficial for tackling the trickier areas, namely hands and feet.
In terms of how I use it, it’s more or less replaced my mitt. When I use the Isle of Paradise tanning water (£21.95, Theisleofparadise.com), for example, I spray the formula directly onto the skin and use the brush to simply buff it in, doing so in circular motions.
When it comes to hands and feet – which is where this nifty tool really comes into its own – I apply moisturiser before the tanning water, which keeps dry skin moisturised, then use the brush to blend the fake tan in and moisturise after. Since using it, I’ve not had any patchy tangoed toes or fingers (let’s hope that’s not famous last words), so it must be doing something right.
I’ve also used the brush with mousse formulas, as well as the St. Tropez gradual tan tinted body lotion (£12.60, Amazon.co.uk) – a recent discovery of mine thanks to our review of the best fake tans. For applying this, I put the moisturiser directly onto the brush and blend it into the skin that way, which produces a similarly streak-free finish.
I’ve found that this does take a hint longer than using a mitt, but it does offer a more precise application, which is of course beneficial for really faking that post-holiday glow during British summertime.
It’s similarly as useful for applying face tanner, something that’s notoriously difficult to do as it can cling to the hairline and leave an orange residue. But, since introducing the brush into my routine, I’ve found that I can achieve a much more even finish.
Should you be all about adding extra contour to accentuate certain areas, be that collarbones and shoulders, this promises to help you do just that. Although we’re yet to try the shading technique.